The bubble is airtight but it allows the sun's rays to pass through.
The thirty-seven Blues who met Monday in Nice to prepare for the first match of the Six Nations Tournament, Saturday February 6 in Rome against Italy, have not yet tackled serious matters.
For now, they've made their mark and are working to regain strength after the Top 14 day last weekend.
There, on this Promenade des Anglais, where it all started just a year ago for this new generation led by Fabien Galthié.
“It was a very natural reunion,” recounts hooker Julien Marchand.
A year ago it had been a very important week.
We had worked a lot.
"His friend from Toulouse Stadium, the pillar Cyril Baille, supports:" It was a new adventure, we got to know each other.
The story started there.
So we are happy to come back and we measure how lucky we are to be all together.
"
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“It has never been studied,” says Laporte
Not even a shadow of concern in this azure sky despite the doubts that remain as to the holding of the meetings against Ireland and the British nations due to the pandemic?
“There's nothing we can do about it,” says Marchand.
It is not us who decide and we cannot know in advance what will happen.
So we focus on us, on our first match in Italy.
We hope that everything will be in place to play in the best conditions for everyone's health.
We trust the people who manage it all.
The three-quarter center Arthur Vincent said nothing else.
“We can train, practice our sport,” he emphasizes.
It's a privilege, a chance.
We have to respect the protocol.
"
"It's a change from Marcoussis, the climate is more pleasant"
Mask in all places of life, tests before the course and then twice a week, individual rooms, weight room disinfected every day, places allocated in the bus, ban on leaving the bubble ... Everything is regulated to avoid the appearance virus.
"The hotel is reserved for us," explains the rear Brice Dulin.
The sun overlooks the terraces.
Apart from the fact that we are not allowed to go out, everything is fine.
This changes Marcoussis (
Editor's note: the training center of the XV of France in Essonne
).
The climate is more pleasant.
This allows the body and the head to regenerate faster.
"
At 30, the Rochelais (31 caps), who had spent three seasons away from the Blues before finding them last fall, is an old man.
"It is easier to come back to a team that has a series of performances," he smiles.
After years of famine, something has been created.
A new dynamic has started.
It is a whole.
The group is living well because there are victories.
For me, there is a lot of fun.
"